The first and perhaps the largest gopher stew of the season came off' at our house.--Perhaps our place was selected on account of our POPULARITY, or perhaps on account of our magnificent shade trees, or our LARGE POT; or perhaps on the triple combination of all, At all events, due notice was given us that we would be treated to it gopher stew on a given day, Of course I could only wait developments. So I waited-you might well say I anxiously waited. About 9 o'clock in the morning the first cart arrived, ladened as above described, and then another and another till in all, there were seven or eight carts and some forty or fifty people. As fast us the carts arrived they were immediately unloaded, and soon all hands wore at work preparing for the stew. Some improvised a long table under the oaks, while others butchered the gophers.
The butchering of the gopher is accomplished in the following manner. A large pot nearly filled with water is set to boiling, into which without previous maiming the gopher is plunged alive. Ho flounders a moment--only a moment, when he is taken dead and scalded. His shell is then hacked opened at the hinges on its sides, when the bottom shell is dissected off which exposes all. the dainty morsels within his shell, and which are carefully taken out, washed, and properly carved, when they are immediately dropped into the stew pot; for it is a popular notion here, that in order to retain the delicate flavor of the gopher the cooking must commence while he is alive. Thus gopher after gopher is submitted to the same process till the stew -pot has become full. The cooking is continued till the flesh separates from the bones. It is then seasoned with various herbs and spices and when taken up and placed in trays makes or dishes it is garnished with rice, and a savory tempting dish. But this was not all; while the gophers were being dressed some of the men stepped down to the river with nets,and soon returned with a bushel of fish, which were made into a fry, to help out the gophers, It was about 2 o'clock when without further ceremony, all hands arranged themselves at the table, and it was only a short time before it was cleared of everything but scraps and bones, though all were filled, if not with gopher, with fish, pies, cakes and potato-pone.
grit the young folks, and some who were not so very young, got up a dance which continued throughout the day. And dancing, here, is an allowable recreation of the churches, consequently it is as fashionable to belong to the church as it is to dance; and according to my notion the women perform very gracefully. They dance all kind of dances, and danced them well, but a majority delighted most in 1 danced called 'cracker six." This dance rescmbles what we used fo call an "old Virgiuy reel," in which young fellows delight to cut the "pigion wing" or scour a plank in the performance of the "double In this, however, they neither cut the "wing" nor commit the shuffle; but it is IL LIVE dance in which you have to stand square | up to your partner and "sift." It 50 hip- | pened that I was bantered and importuned by n beautiful lady to join her in making up a set. Secing no way to get out of it, thought of what old brother Brooks said, when he supposed his time wAs up, and he had to die. He was not just ready.
He wanted to see Nancy again. But if it was the Lord's will that he should die from home, there was no "hack" in John Brooks. So I joined the fair challenger in the set and performed so admirably as to elicit tho ap plause of the whole get. Althougli this the first set I bad danced in near forty years, swimming, the steps and came how back to me other just I have like some or felt about ten years younger ever since. In fact, 1 do not feel old, at all.
I have been at aloes to account for the youthful appearance of the native population here, a3 compared with people from Northeru uder. 1t may, be on account of having nos sickness, no brain work, taking troubles lightly, or simplicity in diet, or the whole of these combined, or perhaps dancing may have something to do with it, but it is a manifest fact, that men of fifty and sixty years old are active and vigorous with scarcely a gray hair in their heads; and women now grand-mothers still maintain a youthful appearance, and delight as much in the exhileration of the dance as their youthfut daughters, Can you account for it, Billy?
Roch's Coffee Saloon was a unique institution in the life of Pensacola. It was located just north of what was the old Parlor Market which I remember most distinctly due to the crates of live gophers displayed on Palafox Street. By way of parenthesis, we old-time Pensacolians are extremely fond of gopher gumbo and gopher stew. I am told that at one time, years gophers passed from hand ago, to hand as legal tender instead of a dollar bill! Incidentally, the Parlor Market was owned and operated by Captain Bell and his brother, highly respected citizens of Pensacola, bar pilots, and great friends of my father, David Edrehi. Roch's was as wide as several ordinary stores.
The floor was covered with sawdust and the tables old made of iron marble tops. The were, marble tops were very handy because a great deal of the important business of Pensacola was scribbed on those marble topsmostly figures, of course. Mr. Roch, as I can still picture him, was an, elderly gentleman of French descent ,and always wore rubber arm bands on his shirt sleeves. He would wait on his customers who, by the way, consisted of men only.
Serving the most delicious coffee which I have learned was very similar to the coffee of the French Market in New Orleans, i.e., coffee and hot milk. Then there were delicious homemade rolls and doughnuts. These were all the items on which Mr. Roch accumulated a comfortable fortune. stated in the begininng..
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